Scarlet Spider #16

In the wake of Superior Spider-Man, the world has learned to fear the SpidersWhen terrorists attack one of Houston’s most famous landmarks, Kaine’s ready to put that fear to use! Yost & Pham continue year two of the world’s most dangerous super hero!

Yost clearly has long time plans for Kaine and his friends, and I'm definitely stoked to see how he carries it all out. Some visual gripes aside, SCARLET SPIDER #16 rocks. It's sharp, wildly fun, laugh-inducing and serves as a huge tease for the major events that are sure to hit this book soon. If you haven't been following along, pick up this issue and hopefully I can welcome you to the Kaine fan club And, if you have been following along, this should be yet another obvious purchase for you and, as usual, it'll be well worth the cash. Read Full Review

Aside from the ridiculously awesome circumstances, Scarlet Spider #16 continues laying groundwork for ongoing stories including Kaine finally giving into his feelings for Annabelle, and a dire warning to Kaine to leave Houston which the hero never receives. Hopefully the foreboding won't infringe too much on the glorious insanity the comic delivers when it is at its best. Must-read. Read Full Review

Overall, Scarlet Spider 16 is another excellent entry in a book not enough people are reading. A funny, light-hearted story that still manages to bring plot advancment and character development. As usual, the worst part of this book is that you're left wanting more because it's just that good. A long month awaits. Read Full Review

Khoi Pham has been a great artist on Scarlet Spider. #16 is one of his weaker issues though, as it seems rushed. But the characters are still expressive, and his pencils help sell the humor. There are a few jokes in the background, which gave me some hard laughs. Look at Annabelle's entrance to see a great example of this. Once the group makes it to the rodeo, the crowds had to be the last thing that Pham penciled. If you look at certain panels, it looks like Pham started to pencil the crowd, then the crowd wad digitally added over it to save time. The inking by Pallot & Olazaba is thinner than normally. When Pham's pencils have thick inks, they just look better. Read Full Review

"Scarlet Spider" #16 is a light-hearted issue following the rather heavy storyline this title recently endured. That doesn't mean there isn't much here. Quite the opposite in fact as Yost and Pham include Armadillo, a cameo from Kraven and a next issue blurb of "SNIKT!" This all helps ground "Scarlet Spider" in the Marvel Universe despite the setting of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo at Reliant Stadium. It's quite clear that Yost has fun with this book and "Scarlet Spider" #16 is a perfect example of what fun means to Yost and what a fun story should be for us readers. Read Full Review

Scarlet Spider has a typical "day off" issue with fun and hijinks to bridge the gap between the last story and the next. But since this book really isn't as dark and intense as it is promoted as being, this is an unnecessary break that highlights the series' faults. In the Superior Spider-Man world, Scarlet Spider has lost a chunk of its identity, which it never really managed to full establish in the first place. Read Full Review